Individual Apple Pies

Pies are a thing of beauty, and it seems they are so hard to make. You have to do the crust just right. Maybe you want to par-bake the crust first, maybe no, who knows? The filling is typically pretty easy, but you have to do something fancy on top. Then you put it in the oven and just hope and pray nothing moves and everything browns evenly. Then the pie has to cool, and when it finally does, you cut into it with bated breath, and oh no. It’s all soupy inside. *sad face* Enter individual apple pies.

So y’all, you make these individual apple pies in a cupcake pan. It’s awesome, because you probably already have one, and also because people think it’s the most adorable thing they’ve every thing. Everyone will be taking selfies with their little cupcake-sized pie. They are Instagramming this stuff. You are a rockstar.

Truth time: It’s not the easiest thing to make, but you can make it in advance. Actually, you should make it in advance because these babies need to cool. You can even make these individual apple pies in advance, twice. You can make the crust and filling and form it all in the cupcake pan, and freeze it. Then you can thaw the pre-cooked pies and bake them.

Oh yeah, this is dairy-free (parve, for my Hebrew homies), you can make other fillings if you so desire and perfectly it’s acceptable to serve with your kosher turkey.

Peel core and chop apples into 1/2inch cubed pieces and toss with some lemon juice.

Combine sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a small saucepan. Pour in water and stir until incorporated. Bring mixture to a gentle boil on medium heat for 3 minutes stirring frequently. Once mixture is thickened slightly, add apples and toss bringing he mixture to a gentle boil once again. Reduce the head to low and simmer for 10 minutes or until the apples are tender.

Take mixture off heat and allow it to cool slightly.

Assembly

Roll dough from center outward into a circle.

Cut (12) 3.5-4" circles with a cookie cutter or rim of a glass/bowl. Place each disk into each muffin tin cavity, pressing them into the bottom and up the sides. Fill with apple pie filling about 2/3 to the top.

Cut (12) more 3.5-4" circles with a cookie cutter or rim of a glass/bowl. Place those circles over top each pie, and pinch the edges. Then cut slits on the top to vent.

Brush the tops of the apple pies with egg wash, sprinkle them with some sugar and bake for 15-17 minutes or until tops are lightly golden and cooked through.